Necromancy
by Isis Lied
Summary: Sometimes, Fate has a wonderful way of saying "Hello." I thought it would be any other day on my way home from school when an attack from an alleyway's resident serial killer leads to my death and then my unlife. Cue a demon with anger-management problems and a baffling curse and you've basically got my life. Looks like I'm really living up to my nickname— Icarus. Astaroth/OC
1. Chapter 1- Saving Icarus

Necromancy

Sometimes, Fate has a wonderful way of saying "Hello." I thought it would be any other day on my way home from school when an attack from an alleyway's resident serial killer leads to my death and then my unlife. Cue a demon with anger-management problems and a baffling curse and you've basically got my life. Looks like I'm really living up to my nickname— Icarus. Astaroth/OC

Genre: Horror, Drama, Adventure, and a dash of Romance.

A/N: Yah, I wonder where these ideas come from as well ^^' Generally, I frown upon canon!character/OC stories as a rule of thumb, but I thought that if I were to write one for ANE, it might as well be for someone who rarely gets paired w/ anyone— or even written about! Yay Astaroth, my first victim :P I want to do some characterization w/ him, since odds are that in the manga he's a) not going to be whoever possessed Shiratori or b) never show up/ be exorcised or something before his personality is developed. I know the story says Astaroth/OC but it may not even reach that romantically; it'll probably end up only platonic, but we'll see :P

Warnings: Probably my third attempt writing in first person—ever. I'm not a fan of it, tbh, but it's good to branch out—I'm sure it'll help my mediocre writing (I hope). Gore and violence is also prevalent, at least in this chap. Oh, and strong language, courtesy Astaroth. And if I didn't somehow slip his 'human barbeque' line into this fic, it would be a travesty :P

So yes, this story is set a few weeks before the start of the anime. I will not be following either the anime or manga as far as plotline, but I am taking the anime's idea that Reiji Shiratori is possessed by Astaroth and not some random low-level demon (as it is hinted in the manga). Without further ado, here is chapter 1 of Necromancy!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Blue Exorcist! The lyrics in this chapter are from Icarus by Bastille, one of my all-time favorite bands. You should totally check them out if you get the chance!

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Chapter 1- Saving Icarus

_Icarus is flying too close to the sun  
Icarus's life, it has only just begun  
This is how it feels to take a fall  
Icarus is flying towards an early grave_

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._  
_

In hindsight, the whole idea reeked of danger. But, of course, my arrogance tends to lend itself to these sorts of situations. With my back pressed against the wall of this god-forsaken alley, I could only watch with horror as my assailant approached, knife in hand. He had one of those twisted sneers on his face, the smiles that you knew could only lead to two things: death or something much, much, worse.

"So, there isn't any way we can talk this out?" I asked, berating myself for my own stupidity as soon as the words left my mouth. This wasn't what normal people did in life or death situations! Sure, begging, crying, or even fighting back flashed in my mind (I'm more of a flight person, mind you), but I just couldn't drop the jokester act for even a second. It had become enough of a defense mechanism that now, when I was actually facing a danger that could potentially end my life, the jokes continued to spill from my lips.

As expected, my attacker didn't find my words the least bit persuasive. He probably didn't even hear them, really. He grunted again, slow, lumbering steps growing louder with every footfall. His eyes took on a glossy look, and for a moment I swore I saw a dark mass floating by his head. It looked like a group of radioactive flies with glowing eyes. But, the vision quickly disappeared with the man's chuckle.

"You're going to be fun to kill." He said, licking his lips grotesquely.

I shuddered, wrapping my arms tightly around my torso partly for comfort and partly to hide my shivers. _Coward_, my mind taunted. This was my fault to begin with, and now, here I am, shaking in my boots. Call it cowardice, call it stupidity, I only had myself to blame. _Take the shortcut home through the alley_, my mind had rationalized, _nothing bad ever happens in dark, isolated alleyways_. _Do it so you don't have to walk home with all the people who had seen you fall flat on your sorry face in the cafeteria. _My peers' laughs rang out in my head again.

"_Looks like Icarus is at it again!"_

"_How isn't that the name she was born with?! It fits so well!" _

Ever since my lower secondary school's opening ceremony, I had been 'gifted' that particular nickname. I had fallen asleep during the principal's particularly long speech and after being woken by a teacher (who apparently thought I had died—I tend to be a very deep sleeper), I fell out of my chair with a screech, right on my face.

The English teacher, who probably meant well, tried to help me laugh the incident off. He explained the story of Icarus and likened my descent to Icarus's fall (he probably meant this in the nicest way possible… I think). He laughed even more when I told him that my first name, Haruko was written with the kanji for sun and child, while my last name, Ikari, was written with the kanji for anchor. Afterwards, the nickname kind of just stuck, especially since I tended to fall— a lot. As my mother had put it so eloquently, I was 'a walking bad-luck charm.'

It seemed that I was truly living up to the name. If only I had gone home as soon as school had let out. But no, I had to go feel sorry for myself at the children's park, sitting on the swing-set, wrapped in my own thoughts until the sun had nearly sunk below the horizon. And then running through the alley, I just had to stop and see if that unconscious man was alright. It would have been fine if he was just a passed out drunk, but, as my luck would have it, he had to be a deranged psychopath with a penchant for sharp things and 'cute girls' as he had told me moments before pinning me to the brick wall.

"Hold still, I don't want to cut your cute face." He said in an overly sweet, saccharine voice. I felt the cold metal of the blade against my neck as I struggled, the fear finally settled over me. I kicked, screamed, thrashed, did everything aside from biting the man until he pressed a sweaty palm over my mouth, growling out a laundry list of threats. Let's just say that the words were enough to turn my screams to whimpers, returning my hands to my side in defeat.

The familiar sting of tears welled in my eyes. I was only fifteen; I hadn't done anything particularly bad in my life to deserve this. I wanted to curse all the gods I had heard of—and even those I hadn't as the man drew the blade over my neck, creating a sickly line of red. I squirmed under his hand, the pain causing the tears to fall from my eyes. Just as I had given up all hope, ready to embrace my fate, I turned my head to the side and saw a lone figure standing just outside the alley.

_H-help! _I internally screamed, grey eyes trained to the stranger who would hopefully become my savior. He stood there, not moving, for what seemed like a century until he flashed a sharp grin, shrugging.

"Don't mind me. I just need to get by." He said, pointing a finger towards the opposite opening of the alley. His white hair shined silver in the light from the decrepit lamppost as he merely tipped his head towards me, hands stuffed in his pockets. I could see that his eyes were an unnatural shade of burgundy, appearing almost crimson.

"He's right, you know. Struggling's only gonna make it worse." His tone was almost lyrical as he passed us, barely sparing either me or my assailant a second glance. Passing through the belly of the red alleyway, he stopped again, looking at us almost expectantly.

"So, are you going to kill her or not?" It was said with such a casualness that I almost thought I hadn't heard him correctly. I wished he had said something different. It was obvious now that this stranger was just going to let me die. I struggled again. How could someone be so cold?! His eyes were on me again suddenly, indifferent and without warmth. It was so… inhuman. It wasn't a gaze of malice or amusement, which would be easier to accept, but one of a true outside observer. Of someone who was watching a lab rat in a glass cage or something equally underfoot. A gaze of a god looking down at a village swallowed in flames.

The attacker let out a cackle, pressing the blade to my neck, harder this time. "Of course! I'm tired of being looked down on! I'll show the world something it's never seen before!"

There was no change of expression in the white-haired man's face. "Go on with it, then. I've got places to be."

His words caused something inside of me to break. Wrestling out of the man's grasp, I screamed at the stranger. "How can you just watch this happen?! Don't you have a conscience?!"

There was a searing pain in my back, causing me to buckle immediately to the dirty ground. Looking at my abdomen, I saw my school uniform blazer had been dyed red with my blood. My vision faded just as I caught a glimmer of silver poking out of my stomach; the knife had cut straight through my ribcage.

The last thing I heard before my vision faded was a hollow laugh, followed by a string of incomprehensible words. "I'd probably feel bad about you dying… if I were human."

The few moments after my loss of consciousness were indescribable. It was a cold weightlessness that seeped into my very bones. I felt like liquid iron had been injected into my veins, causing an unusual, heavy lethargy. There was only silence, a dreadful emptiness that could have lasted a century or a second; time seemed almost irrelevant in this limbo of life. But then I was slammed back onto the rough cement of the alley, my brain frantically trying to control my gasps.

Looking up, I saw that my would-be killer had been decapitated, his head in the firm grasp of the silver-haired stranger. I screamed, pressing my body against the brick wall again. At the time, my brain couldn't even comprehend how my wounds had healed or how the apparently weaponless man had made a deep, jagged cut into my assailant's neck that had caused his head to fall off.

The man sighed in annoyance, tossing the head away. I watched in horror as the body slowly rotted away, flesh bubbling with enough of a putrid odor that I thought I would pass out. In minutes, the pile of decaying skin had turned to bleached bone.

"Stop that screeching. It's fucking annoying." He cursed, approaching me with his bloodstained hands—claws?! Sure enough, I could see long, sharp talons on his fingers, coupled with an arrow-shaped tail that swung wildly behind him.

"D-demon?" I stuttered, all my usual retorts or sharp words gone with my sanity. I had to be bundled up in a strait-jacket, locked away in some mental ward; there was no way this man was a monster or that I had survived the attack, with my previous wounds completely gone.

"Heh, smart girl. I am Astaroth, King of Rot. Now, you owe me quite a bit…" He spoke darkly, reaching out a bloodstained hand to my chin. He tipped it forward, causing me to stare directly into his scarlet eyes, pupils turned to slits.

"S-stay back…" I whispered, voice caught in my throat. The fear had never left, and now, with an actual monster in front of me, I could barely keep my eyes open.

"That's not very nice, saying that to the person who saved your life."

_You didn't— you let me die! _I wanted to retort, but the fear and probably my own unconscious feelings of self-preservation kept me from voicing my opinion.

"First, I've gotta test something. Hold still." Without warning he stabbed his hand straight into my chest. I choked out blood, eyes rolling back in my head from the searing pain. I felt myself begin to drown in my own blood and panicked, reaching out blindly against my attacker. The pain lasted for another few moments before I felt my airways begin to clear. I could feel the blood returning to my chest and the wound lacing itself closed. I began to breathe normally again, feeling for the wound; it had closed completely in less than a minute.

"W-what?"

Astaroth gave a sharp grin, exposing a set of pointed canines. "You are under my service now. We will be looking for someone important. I do not know his name here on Assiah, but he is of the highest nobility in Gehenna. He is the son of Satan."

"What did you do to me?!" I yelled, almost belligerent. I didn't understand anything. What were Assiah and Gehenna? What about this nobility? And, more importantly, did he mean the actual Satan?

Compared to his rough gesture before, he tugged on my arm, obviously holding back his strength. He then rolled his eyes. "You have a lot to learn, protégé. Just be lucky I decided to save you. There are demon eaters everywhere who would give up their souls for your position."

He stopped suddenly, still holding my arm. "Speaking of which, what's your name? If you don't tell me I'll just call you some variant of 'human trash' or 'human barbeque.'"

I responded immediately, voice surprisingly unwavering, given the situation. "It's Haruko Ikari. But, I go by Icarus."

He gave a genuine chuckle, clutching at his stomach with his free hand. His tail flickered again due to his amusement. "How interesting. I like it."

With his words swimming through my head, I let the white-haired demon drag me out of the alley, and unknowingly, towards my Fate.

* * *

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too OOC for Astaroth :P He got all of one episode so… characterization will be interesting, to say the least.

_**Review?**_

-Isis


	2. Chapter 2- Young Prince

Chapter 2- Young Prince~

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After a few blocks I managed to wrestle out of Astaroth's grip, surprisingly enough. I guess he had enough of dragging my sorry ass down the street. He dropped his hand to the side, a quizzical, if not annoyed look on his face.

"What?" He asked, clearly exasperated. His tail twitched angrily behind him and I had to suppress a giggle. I was reminded of my own cat, Yuki, who when threatened, would make herself appear bigger by fluffing up her fur. It was humorous, to say the least. Once my random fit of laughter (in which Astaroth wondered if his spell cured brain damage or not) subsided I set my eyes on the demon, glaring. That's right— I almost forgot how angry I was! He couldn't use his cute tail to get me distracted!

I barked out exactly what was on my mind, all semblance of being calm and level-headed gone from my conscience. But hey, that stuff happens when you are killed, come back from the dead, and are killed again by the same person who brought you back to life. "That's my line! You still haven't explained anything!"

He pointed to the metal bench beside us that had been placed just across from a lamppost. The suburban area was surprisingly quiet and as I took a seat, I noticed that I had no idea where we were. _Wonderful._ I wouldn't be surprised if my kind, but sometimes over-bearing parents hadn't already contacted the police. I really should give them a call to let them know I'm alive (albeit because of a demon who just watched me die at first)...

Astaroth stood in front of me, crossing his arms with a frown. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen well."

I nodded.

"There are two universes, Assiah and Gehenna. They're like mirrors; one side is the human world, where your species thrives," he said with a hint of contempt, "and then there's Gehenna, the land of what you humans call demons. Blah, blah, blah, demons can only cross over to Assiah by possessing a human body or object. Taking on this form, I've been given the task by Satan, king, lord, god, whatever, of Gehenna to find his son. He's to be the Lord's vessel into Assiah, as normal bodies would burn up and die in minutes, given his power over blue flames."

I furrowed my brows, running a confused hand through my black locks. "Where do I come in? I know you saved me— kind of, and as grateful as I am for that, I don't really want to chase around some kid."

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think you understand; you have no choice in the matter. If I say stand in front of a speeding train because it will help us find him you'll do it. There is _no_ negotiating."

My retort died in my throat. As much as I wanted to slap him or even run away I knew it would be futile. I was bound to this demon, this 'King of Rot,' and if I wanted to make my life easier, I'd listen to him. Too bad I can't keep my mouth shut for long.

He started speaking again after my silence, taking it as a hint that I would not fight him. "Anyway, I've been able to pinpoint his whereabouts to this area of Japan. When the next school year starts in April I will be attending True Cross Academy, a school my older brother owns. If we're lucky, we'll find the young prince there, given that it is also the headquarters for the Japanese Branch of the Exorcist Order. They'd probably have some information on him as well..."

My eyes widened considerably. And it wasn't just because demons apparently have family ties. "T-true Cross Academy? That's where I'm going! It's run by a demon?"

The white-haired demon nodded. "Yes... while we are not on the best of terms, I still think he'll grant me access to the Academy. Heh, you're going there as well? That'll make things a lot easier. So what, are you rich or somethin'?"

I sighed. "Yes, but that's not how I got into the Academy. While my overall grades are... uh, lower than most, you can also get in if you score high enough on the entrance exam." What I didn't tell him was that I scored a 99— nearly besting our year's prodigy, Yukio Okumura. If my grades hadn't been so shoddy (okay— if I hadn't been so unbearably lazy), I probably would have been the class representative. Shit, there goes my arrogance again. I really did have to stop living up to my nickname.

He let out a cackle. "For a human, you're full of fucking surprises. I heard that the test is similar in difficulty to a college entrance exam. I would have taken it, but my host's pretty rich and his shitty attitude and grades would make it suspicious. Not to say that he isn't a good host— much better than my last when I was in Assiah a couple centuries ago. The guy freaking rotted on me!" He chuckled again, laughing at his own horrible pun.

I did my best to hold in my own laugh. For a centuries old demon king, he certainly had a... unique sense of humor, putting it lightly. I was reminded of his 'human barbecue' line and soon my contained laughs turned to gasps as I let my voice ring out into the night air. At this point he probably thought I had broken. And who knows, it's possible. I mean here I am, talking to some demon king after being killed (twice!) and I'm just laughing like everything's freaking perfect. But, what can I say; it's easier to play the clown than someone who _actually _cares about things.

He shot me another confused look and for a moment I was worried he'd try to kill me again. Instead, he merely stuffed his hands in his pocket, muttering under his breath before walking away.

"I'll contact you when you're needed. We've got work to do."

"What do you mean you'll 'contact' me?!"

He flashed a crooked grin. "You're intelligent enough, for a human. I'm sure you'll figure it out, Icarus."

And with those parting words, he disappeared, leaving the street in a wave of those little black insects. I really had to remind myself to ask him what those were the next time I saw him. Walking in the opposite direction, I finally found my way back home and into the arms of my angry, worried parents.

* * *

It had taken a lot to appease my parents. I couldn't exactly tell them that I met up with a demon king, died, and now found myself immortal. So I did the next best thing. I lied, hard.

"You guys are always so suffocating! I just went to the park and lost track of time, geeze." I pretended to not care even when my mother began to cry, wiping at the tears with her hand.

_Shit. That definitely was not the reaction I was looking for. _I felt incredibly guilty, but I held my ground, keeping up a brave face. I stared at them, angrily, for what seemed like centuries until my father sighed, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair.

"She has a point. We're sorry for not trusting you, but you're our only child, Haruko. We just want to keep you safe."

"You're keeping me in a cage!" I screamed back, letting some of my real emotions bubble to the surface. Yes, play the role of the hormone confused teenager; at least then you can show some semblance of normalcy. My words did the trick.

"Go to bed, Haruko. I don't want to argue about this. I'll let you off with a warning, but if you pull anything like this again, expect the punishment to be severe." My father said, a tiredness seeping into his brown eyes. I felt guilty—again.

"Whatever…" I mumbled back, turning to walk up the stairs. As my foot touched the first step I paused, gripping the handrail tightly.

"Uh… I'm sorry for worrying you two. Goodnight." I rushed up the stairs before I could hear their response. I didn't want to feel even worse about lying and saying such cruel things to them. I know they mean well and it wasn't right to let my anger out on them when they did nothing wrong. _I should yell at Astaroth tomorrow, _I thought, a smile making its way onto my face. That would teach the demon to keep his claws to himself (as in not stabbing me violently in my chest).

So after getting ready for bed, I looked one last time in the mirror and gasped. My pupils, for a brief second, appeared slanted, like a demon's. _You're just imagining things. It's late and you had two near-death experiences in one day. _I rationalized, slipping into my bed.

That night, I had a cold, dreamless sleep.

* * *

School went fairly well, considering it was the last day. Goodbyes were shared between students while I watched awkwardly, giving a few parting words to some of my 'friends.' I guess it was due to my joking nature, but no one really got close enough to know me. Sure, a lot of the kids knew my name, but I couldn't recall the last time I had been invited to someone's house or went to a party.

Not that it really mattered. Many of my classmates were going to a different private school other than True Cross and even those that were amounted to about a handful. 'Sides, who needed friends when you're enslaved to a demon with a cutesy, arrow-pointed tail?

_I heard that. _A voice suddenly shot in my head, nearly making me trip down the stairs. Luckily, I caught myself, hands wrapped tightly around the rails. My face had met the last step of this stupid staircase _way _too many times.

_Damnit, I must be going crazy! _I said to myself. So I was really in a plushy white cell. _Lovely._

_You're slightly unhinged, I would say, but I've seen worse. Trust me. _The voice was back and this time I recognized it— cue silver-haired demon with a penchant for stabbing people with his claws.

_I heard that too. _

_You were supposed to, _I shot back. I just made it back to my last class and now I had to deal with a psychopathic demon in my head. Wow, I totally understood what people meant when they said 'fighting their own demons.' I just wish mine could be killed.

_You have no filter, do you? _He commented dryly. I snorted, bringing attention to myself in class. I had just laughed after my teacher was telling a story about her friend catching the bubonic plague— whoops!

"I mean that sounds horrible. All the boils and all. That sounds particularly revolting." I tried to appear distraught but I guess it looked more akin to a grimace because my teacher asked if I needed to be excused. I shook my head, flashing a grin.

"Nope, just having some troubles with my head—the demon kind." _Why the hell did I say that!? Maybe Astaroth was right, I really have no filter._

The rest of my classmates laughed as the teacher tried to calm them. Which was definitely not going to work, given that it was the last day of the school year. Giving up, my instructor took out her book, letting the class burst into chatter.

I kept my head low, palm pressed against my cheek as I watched the clock.

_Say, Ruth, do ya think you could make time go by faster so I don't have to sit here for another thirty minutes? I think I might actually go insane. _

_Who the Gehenna are you calling Ruth?! As for your question, well… no. That's Samael's domain. The guy whose school we'll be attending. _

I rolled my eyes. He really was no help. I decided to not ask him about the 'domain', because I was sure it was only going to make things more confusing. It was bad enough that I had to see those stupid floating green-eyed insects everywhere I went.

_They're called coal tar, dumbass. _He quipped.

I glared. _Sorry for not knowing that— they don't exactly teach demonology in textbooks. _

He became suddenly quiet. I shrugged to myself, despite the stares that it gave me. I guess it looked like I was having a conversation with myself, because the second I made eye contact with someone they'd look away, embarrassed.

_Well, that could have gone better…_

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, Astaroth was surprisingly quiet. He didn't contact me through our weird bond thingy and I sure as hell wasn't going to go looking for him myself. I almost hoped that everything that had happened was a dream; except, there were still coal tar everywhere and I nearly got attacked by some undead dog. But that's another story for another time.

As I walked past the same children's park I noticed something that I couldn't believe I hadn't seen before. There was a small monastery, hidden by foliage and a brick wall tall enough to obscure its windows. My legs carried me there almost automatically. _Here, I can get help to make Astaroth go away and whatever curse he put on me! _ I cheered, ready to walk inside. But, something stopped me. Staring up at the cross placed just above the double oak doors, I froze.

_This is stupid. Just 'cause he preaches the stuff doesn't mean he actually believes in demons. What if the priest or whatever just laughs at me? _I rationalized, already feeling my hand on the doorknob tremble. Deciding I'd just peek around to see if there was anyone there, I opened the door just a crack.

Peering inside, I saw some blue-haired kid and what appeared to be a priest, arguing. The kid yelled something back and the radiator placed in the middle of the church sparked into blue flames for a millisecond, toppling over onto the floor. The group of clergymen laughed it off as the youth sighed, eventually walking out of my line of sight.

_Blue flames… now where have I heard of that, _I thought, deciding against asking for help. It seemed like the priest had enough trouble keeping his son or whoever in line.

Just as I walked past the church steps I noticed Astaroth on the park swing, grinning widely. I looked around before approaching him. I had been careless the last time I was out alone and it had nearly gotten me killed—twice. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

"What do you want?" I asked, folding my arms.

He pointed to the church. "There's a barrier there strong enough that even I can't break it. But, from what your thoughts told me, I think I know why it's there. Good job, Icarus. You actually found the young prince."

I froze, thinking back to the boy in the church. "You're kidding?! That's the son of Satan? He's like my age and looks as harmless as a fly!"

The demon gave a deep, guttural chuckle. "That's because his true nature has not been awakened. They've sealed his powers somewhere. I'm also tasked to bring out that power." He finished cryptically, standing up from the swing.

"If all goes well, I'll be back in Gehenna in no time, along with the prince."

"Then what about me?"

He pointed a clawed hand towards me. "You'd have served your purpose. You can go back to doing whatever normal, regular humans do. I'm sure that after a time my 'curse' will lift itself from you and you'll be able to die a wonderfully painful death."

"Great, just what I wanted…" I mumbled, already taking my leave. I didn't need to hear the demon spout out a hundred colorful ways for me to die. Taking a parting glance that I thought would be my last of the demon king, I walked ahead, whistling a little tune.

Things were finally going to go back to normal— well, minus the fact that I could now see demons.

* * *

Or so I thought.

I had just gotten home from my walk when I felt a pain deep in my chest. I fell to my knees by the front door, gasping for breath. I could hear Astaroth's voice in my head, dark and threatening.

_I'll kill you, you damnable priest! _

"No…" I managed to whisper out, feeling my consciousness fade. I heard the rushed steps of my parents before the world went completely black.

* * *

A/N: Yes, more things will be explained next chap! We'll find out what exactly happened to our dear Icarus XD P.S. I like to give all the demons cutesy/girly nicknames; it's quite fun :P you've got Mephy, Amai-kun, Lucy (Lucifer), and then Ruthy :P


	3. Chapter 3- Wild Card

Chapter 3- Wild Card

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When I awoke from what seemed like a very long catnap, I found myself in a simple hospital room, figure draped in a stark white gown. I groaned, feeling a headache forming just below my temple. Just how long was I out for?

"Mornin'." A familiar voice drawled as I screamed in surprise, nearly causing the IV drip in my arm to rip out.

"Damnit, that hurt..." I whined, turning my attention to the uninvited guest. It was, of course, Astaroth, although he was sporting a weird piece of gauze just above his right eye. He caught me staring at it and glared.

"That stupid priest ruined everything." He muttered, moving to sit in the metal chair by my bed. I wasn't used to having the demon so close to me and as such, subconsciously shifted away from him and towards the opposite wall. If he noticed my discomfort he either didn't give a crap or enjoyed my suffering. I assumed it was the latter.

"I thought this would be a fucking simple mission. But now I actually have to go to that school if I want to find the brat." Astaroth continued to rant, probably forgetting I was even there. He seethed in his chair, claws elongating. I gulped as beige ram horns emerged from his silver hair. _Shit. He was pissed.  
_  
"Uh, Astaroth..." I started, not stupid enough to call him by his _endearing_ nickname. He grunted in affirmation, at least showing that he had some grip on reality.

"Maybe this isn't a bad thing. I mean, don't you like earth— I mean Assiah?"

He laughed. "Are you serious? Of course Assiah's better than that hell hole. If I could, I'd stay in Assiah forever. But the old man's got his orders and I don't particularly like the idea of being burned from the inside."

_Oh. That did sound unpleasant._ "So, hypothetically speaking, if you decided to just stay in Assiah or whatever and not go back to Gehenna, could Satan still do anything to you? I mean he is unable to cross into Assiah—"

"Don't be naïve. If I disobeyed him I'd have every demon, from the freaking Greenmen to the Naga coming after me to drag me back home. Father isn't exactly partial to traitors."

I blinked. And then blinked again. "Did you just call him father?!"

He gave his usual sharp grin. "I thought it was obvious; the Eight Demon Kings of Gehenna are all Satan's children. We're just different because none of us inherited his blue flames."

Before I could respond, a nurse walked in, staring at the white-haired boy with uneasiness. It was clear that she didn't think positively of his strange hair color and piercings. Still, she performed her job adequately, doing her best to ignore the now silent youth. "It's good to see your awake, Miss Ikari. Your parents are in the waiting room. You were out for a good four days."

Four days!? No wonder I thought my hair felt particularly ratty today! Resisting the urge to actually ask the nurse for a brush (or a mirror), I told her to let my parents in. Giving a quick bow, she left, closing the wooden door behind her.

I flopped back onto my pillow, sighing. This was all too much... turning to face Astaroth, I saw that he had, in fact, remained rooted in the chair.

I shot him a quizzical look. "Aren't you going to leave? Ya know, before my parents arrive?"

He only smiled, motioning to the door. On cue, my parents entered, ignoring the white-haired stranger to hug their daughter.

"We were so worried, sweetie! You just collapsed out of nowhere! The doctors couldn't find anything wrong despite all the tests so they assume it was due to stress or anxiety." My mom said, patting my back warmly. My father gave a soft smile, also giving me a tight hug. He then turned to Astaroth, a look of confusion on his face.

"Who is this, Haruko?

I groaned. "He's, uh my..."

"We're actually good friends. We go to the same school. My name is Reiji Shiratori." He then stuck out his hand, allowing my father to shake it.

"Well you've got a grip strong enough to break stone. Good..."My dad finished, looking towards his wife. She gave him a curious look before suddenly nodding. Almost immediately after she approached Astaroth, a determined look in her grey eyes. The demon even looked a bit startled, shifting on his heel ever so slightly at my mother's sudden movement.

"...Please continue being friends with Haruko. You're the first friend I've heard of in years." She cried, grabbing his hands earnestly. For a moment (but only a moment!) I even felt bad for Astaroth as he just stood there, immobile like stone. Still, it was a better reaction than I expected; I thought he couldn't keep his claws to himself for even a second. I guess he did have _some _self-control.

I coughed loudly and would have gone to rip the two apart if I hadn't been hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor.

"Okaa-san, you're embarrassing me!" I yelled, frantically moving my arms in a desperate attempt to somehow separate the two without actually touching them. Curse these stupidly short wires!

A flash of amusement passed Astaroth's eyes at my actions; instead of wrestling out of my mother's grip, he held it tighter, the shimmer of 'unshed tears' in his eyes.

"I understand, Mrs. Ikari. I'll do everything in my power to help her make friends. It's troubled me as well; people at school only know her for her jokes and klutzy behavior. To be honest, sometimes I stay up at night wondering how I can help her function as a normal person in society." And for good measure he rubbed at his eyes before my mother embraced him.

"Y-you're so kind! I'm sure you'll be a great influence on our little Haruko!" She wailed, patting the man's back warmly.

_You damnable monster!_ I screeched in my head. The King of Rot shifted so only I could see his face. He then stuck out his tongue before responding back.

_Heh, a demon being a good influence! I love it!  
_  
_I will kill you!_

_Right... good luck with that, Miss-I-fall-down-a-flight-of-stairs-at-least-once-a-day._

_Shut the fuck up! It's more like once a week!_

I was glaring so hard that I hoped he would turn to ash. If only.

After a 'heartfelt' goodbye, my parents left to help me arrange what I needed for school tomorrow (which I told them was exactly where I was going— headache or not), indirectly leaving me all alone with a demon. _Yah, great parenting, guys...  
_  
Astaroth immediately relaxed, his usual smirk finding its way onto his lips. I knew he was going to say something ridiculous. But, reading my mind, he merely sneered, walking towards the window. Opening it up, he saluted mockingly.

"I'll see ya later, Icarus. Try not to fall out the window; you'd survive, and as much as I'd enjoy the sight of your mangled body on asphalt, it wouldn't do either of us any real good. Anyway, I should probably mention that the new school year starts tomorrow!" And with that he flew out the window, his fall cushioned by a blanket of poor coal tar.

God, was he the biggest jerk I'd ever met! Not even thinking, I threw an extra pillow after him. For once, luck seemed to be on my side as I heard him curse. A wide grin broke out across my face._ Looks like my aim is getting better… _

"I'll fucking kill you!" He roared, probably covered in feathers. It was a pretty long fall, from what I could tell; I could just see the tops of the oak trees from where I was sitting.

I rolled my eyes. _I'd like to see you try._

No response. I sighed, my thoughts returning to my impromptu hospital stay. So I passed out due to stress, huh? For some reason, I didn't buy it. With everything that had been going on recently, there was no way there couldn't be a connection.

Something in my head suddenly clicked. Astaroth had been raging about a priest— who I assume was the guy taking care of the son of Satan. I don't know what happened during their meeting, but it was enough to make it so Astaroth couldn't bring the kid to Gehenna and enough to have him fuming (which, arguably, wouldn't take much).

I made a mental note to ask the demon later about it; this just didn't seem like a conversation you'd have telepathically— or whatever weird bond thingy that was going on.

* * *

I was released from the hospital a little later in the afternoon and to my surprise, I saw Astaroth lounging out in the front, taking up the lobby's grey couch with a languid pose similar to that of a cat stretching out its claws. _So he actually showed up again, huh? Either he's really bored or really likes hospitals. Like a lot. _

_You're wrong, brat. I got tired. Demons are generally nocturnal creatures and this stupid weather just makes me sleepy. I didn't feel like playing the delinquent with the rest of my host's 'friends' so I stayed here. _

I snorted. _So you do get tired. I didn't think demons needed sleep. And here I thought you just had a cranky personality. Well, I guess it explains the bags under your eyes. _

_We don't need as much sleep as you pathetic humans. Anyway, I've got stuff to discuss. _Astaroth immediately sat up, giving my parents a sleepy wave as if he had just woken from a peaceful slumber.

"Oh, Shiratori-san, what are you still doing here? You could have gone up to Haruko's hospital room if you wanted to see her." My mother started, looking at the man with what appeared to be admiration. I shuddered. If she only knew…

He gave his version of a 'gentle' laugh, walking up towards us. He then draped an arm over my shoulder, acting all 'chummy' and 'familiar' with me.

"I just wanted to know if Haruko-chan was feeling well enough to come have a late lunch—or early dinner, I guess, with me." He smiled 'warmly,' hiding his fangs with his lips. _That smug bastard! _I wanted to tear my arm away from him, but knew it would only cause more problems.

_Come on, mom. You just met this guy today. Don't just let your young daughter go off with a stranger—_

"So polite~! Of course you can, Shiratori-san! Just make sure she gets home before dark."

"You have my word." He said, dipping forward to bow. My mom giggled at his action, bowing back. _God, she's infatuated with him already. _I turned to my dad, hoping that he would at least have some common sense. Unfortunately, he seemed as equally smitten with my 'friend,' only giving him a stern warning to keep me safe before basically shoving us out the hospital doors.

"Don't worry, Haruko! We'll pack up your stuff for school tonight! Just enjoy yourself since you've been stressed with exams lately!" My mom said, waving goodbye to us.

I waved back awkwardly, allowing myself to be pulled along by Astaroth.

_I hate you, ya know._

_The feeling's mutual. Now, come on, I've got a new plan._

* * *

Sitting at a stereotypical fast-food restaurant, I looked down at my fries, not wanting to look at the person I was eating with. Astaroth hadn't ordered anything; he said something about only certain foods in Assiah being appealing.

"So…" I trailed off, turning to look at the demon. He had been staring intently at me, crimson eyes trained to my face.

"W-what?" I questioned, not used to someone staring so intently at me.

He shrugged. "I did it 'cause I knew it would bother you."

I sighed, pushing my red tray to the side. Taking a sip of my large coke, I started again, "You said something about a new plan. Spill." I wasn't going to fight it; the faster I got that kid to Gehenna or whatever the faster I could be rid of this headache.

_I heard that. I'm glad that I cause you such displeasure~_

_Get out of my head! You're literally a foot away from me. If you have something to say, say it!_

He chuckled, trailing his nails against the table. It left marks and I gulped. I hoped the employees wouldn't notice. "Tomorrow, we are going to visit Samael. He can tell us more about the young prince."

I nodded, placing my drink down. "Okay, that sounds easy enough."

We sat in silence for a while until Astaroth pointed to my face. "Your eyes."

I blinked. "…Yes, I have eyes. Good observation."

"Not what I meant, idiot. They've gotten… brighter, haven't they? They were a dark, rusted grey but now they're like silver."

I frowned at his comparison of my eyes to rust but pushed the half-insult aside. "I think you're imagining things—" _Wait, _I suddenly remembered the night when I met him and my pupils turned to slits when I looked in the mirror.

"Do I get like demon genes? Cause for a second, when I looked in the mirror the night that I met you, I swore my eyes became slanted, like yours." I offered, pointing to his crimson orbs.

"I'm surprised, really, that it's your only demonic trait. Generally, demon eaters become stronger than regular humans and their ears become pointed. They also usually get tails or at the very least, their nails grow to claws. I wonder why you still appear so human…" He trailed off, suddenly reaching across the table.

I moved back on reflex, remembering the whole 'stabbed through the chest' incident. He chuckled at my reaction but still pressed forward. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for some form of pain. Instead, I felt a hand in my hair and relaxed. _So he just wanted to feel my hair up or something?_

He laughed again. "How stupid do you think I am? I wouldn't try to kill you in public. I was just checking your hair. Sometimes demon eaters get hair colors similar to demons. But, it's still the same boring black mop. No hints of silver or anything."

I glared at him, folding my arms. "For the record, you shouldn't just touch someone's hair for no reason. And my hair isn't boring; it's mysterious. Jet black is cool! And I know I've been meaning to cut my fringe, but it hasn't started to look like a mop… has it?"

Astaroth responded with a surprised look. "Damn, and here I thought that insult would hurt you a lot. Women seem to be so into their outward appearance, not that it's much different in Gehenna. The female demons are like that too, except if someone insults them they usually just bite off their head; trust me, I've seen it."

"I'm glad to see you enjoy insulting me so much. And not all girls are like that. I cut my own hair." I shrugged, returning to my fries. If the demon wanted to insult me, he'd have to try harder than that.

_Challenge accepted. _He grinned, suddenly taking my drink.

"H-hey!" I protested, reaching for the styrofoam cup. He held it out of my reach, sticking out his tongue mockingly before taking a sip.

"I bought it, so I deserve some too!"

"But you're rich! My meal cost less than three-hundred yen!"

"You should be grateful I even bought it. You're rich too, aren't you?"

_Damn. He had a point. Touché, King of Rot, touché. _

* * *

The next morning, I awoke early to catch my cab to True Cross. I hugged my parents a final time, promising to visit them when I got the chance. The quick trip from the city to the Academy seemingly flew by and before I knew it, I was at the front gates.

The sprawling campus was breathtaking; I had only visited the school a handful of times, but each time it seemed to grow, encompassing an even larger area of land. I followed the map to the main building, only to find it empty. The hallways were completely quiet, the checkered tile gleaming in the morning sun that had been filtered through the great rectangular windows. Everything was peaceful, except me, as I dug around frantically in my duffel bag for my phone to check the time.

_Crap, am I late or something?_

"Quite the contrary, Haruko Ikari, or should I say, Icarus~?" An unfamiliar voice called from behind.

I stood up and whipped my head back, only to come centimeters away from a pair of tired, peridot eyes. I yelped, moving backwards instinctively, only to trip on my duffel bag. I landed to the polished floors with an ungraceful thud as a man's laughter rang out.

"It looks like my brother was right. You certainly are a clumsy thing, aren't you? I think your nickname fits quite well~!" He held out a gloved hand and I took it, realizing immediately just who I was talking to. Standing up, I gave a respectful bow. The flamboyant white clothing that reminded me of a clown, green eyes, unusual violet hair; it had to be him!

"Y-you're the principal of the school, Johann Faust!"

He nodded. "That is correct. I go by that name in public, but you may call me Mephisto Pheles. Now come along to my office, we have much to discuss. I'd like to talk about your new 'abilities,' as well as some other… more unsightly topics."

I cocked my head to the side, frowning. "What do you mean?" _Did they accidentally lose my junior high records or something? _

"I'm afraid that I may just have to kill you."

_Oh. That's much worse. _

* * *

A/N: Uh oh, Mephy, what are you doing? XD Thanks to those who left reviews! I'm glad that some people like the story! I've given some pretty fast updates, haven't I? I think it's my record :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And, as usual, reviews are much obliged :3

**Review? **

-Isis


	4. Chapter 4- Dealings With the Devil

Chapter 4- Dealings With the Devil

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.

"...Please tell me you're joking."

The principal gave a chuckle. "You caught me~!"

"Really?!"

"...Nope." He flashed a fanged grin, ushering me down the immaculate hall towards the nearest door. I followed obediently, all the way wondering if all of the demon kings had such horrible dispositions.

_Heh, what did you expect? We're children of Satan, after all. It's in our nature to lie._ Astaroth spoke in my head.  
_  
Hey, I was giving the rest of the kings a chance. I knew you were an asshole, but I thought maybe it was just because you're the King of Rot._

_Watch your tongue. I could give you the plague if I wanted to._

I returned my attention to the door which Mephisto opened, revealing it to be a regular classroom. "I thought we were going to your office-"

We are; it's a few flight of stairs away, however, and I've had enough of a chat with my brother to know how dangerous that would be for you~!" He teased, fishing out a golden key from his pocket. I watched with interest as he closed the door and then opened it with the key.

I gasped. It was an entirely different room. I stood at the threshold in shock until Mephisto sighed, sitting at his desk.

"Surely Astaroth has told you my domain. I'm the king of Space and Time."

_Oh, right._ I managed to shake myself from my stupor, closing the door behind me before taking a seat on one of the plush office chairs.

"So... about the whole _killing_ me thing... could you not?" I questioned, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly. It didn't hurt to ask, right?

For some reason my words struck a funny bone or something in the demon king as he chuckled, clutching at his stomach. I frowned at him until he stopped, wiping a tear from his eyes.

"My apologies, Icarus. I had heard you were... blunt with your words. But my goodness~!" He laughed again and I was almost tempted to walk out of the room, ya know, except that he was a demon king and all.

"Just how much does Astaroth talk about me...?" I muttered, wondering how the principal could just spout out 'facts' about me. I guess my face was pretty readable because Mephisto suddenly moved forward, resting his hands on the desk between us.

"Oh, he's told me quite a lot. What I'm really curious about, however, is your apparent immortality. What Astaroth did should have only brought you back to life; it's a fairly simple spell that high-ranking demons can do. While it's not used often, since we aren't exactly privy to resurrecting humans, nothing like this has occurred before."

I furrowed my brows. "Wait, so I was just supposed to come back to life? No weird undead-ness or demonic traits?"

He nodded. At that moment his grin widened, eyes narrowing. "While I'd love to test the parameters of your new ability, we have more pressing concerns to take care of."

_Thank god._ "Like what?"

"Technically, you'd be classified as a demon eater, which is _very _illegal. The Vatican would want me to report of any suspicions and, ultimately, you'd most likely be killed. Somehow. Or at least locked away and tortured for an indefinite amount of time.

I gulped. And here I thought the Vatican was just a group of old, peace-keeping people. "Can we pretend that we did and then not?" God, I really had to learn to keep my mouth shut.

"My, my, your humor is refreshing! Well, you see, there is one other option—"

"I'll do it." I interrupted. I wasn't ready to die just yet. Or be stuck in a prison cell for an eternity.

"Such wonderful tenacity~! It must be great being so young! But, is your decision the right one? You don't even know what I want." He clapped, amused by my words.

"Well, you said it was my only other option. I'll make the deal, Mephisto. I just hope I don't have to give away my soul or something." I joked, trying to interject some humor.

His peridot eyes narrowed. "Oh, but you already have." He finished cryptically, handing me a manila folder.

"Good luck with your first assignment."

I looked down at the folder. To the right it read in big red letters, 'To the Vatican's Dog.'

_What have I gotten myself into now?!_

* * *

After the opening ceremony, where I indirectly glowered at Yukio Okumura for beating my chances at being our year's representative, I found myself indefinitely lost. Swept in the crowd, I tried to find some land marker, anything that could point me in the direction of the girl's dormitory. Imagine my surprise when I bumped into a certain _young prince_. He had been gawking at a stature of a woman holding a key similar to the one Mephisto used when I was jostled into him.

"Sorry…" I muttered before getting a look at him.

It was definitely the boy from before, but his ears were pointier now, and when he spoke I could see the glimmer of sharp canines. He seemed so… childish. He laughed off our collision and said it was no problem before he started walking up the stairs to where classes were held.

"W-wait!" I blurted out, not even thinking.

He turned around curiously, a look of apprehension in his face. _What? Did he think I was going to kick him or something? _Because he looked almost sullen, as if he expected me to suddenly yell at him or do something as equally cruel. I smiled.

"I just wanted to say my name is Haruko Ikari. But most call me Icarus." I held out my hand in a friendly gesture. To my surprise, his eyes lightened immediately as he shook it, giving a warm, lopsided grin.

"I'm Rin Okumura."

_Oh. That's a nice name— wait, Okumura!?_

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to be related to Yukio Okumura, would you?"

He nodded, somewhat confused. " Yah, that's my younger brother. Do you know him?"

I shook my head wildly. "N-no nothing like that! It's just… he kind of beat me to being the class representative. His scores were a bit better than mine." Inwardly, I was in shock. _So there are two of them? Well, I guess Yukio doesn't count as much since he didn't inherit the blue flames…_

The blue-haired boy laughed, a calm, cheery laugh that really had me wondering how he could possibly be a son of Satan. "Hah, I'll have to let him know that I met you, then. It was nice talkin' and all, but I'm gonna go look for my class. See ya." He finished, giving a final wave before running up the stairs.

I turned back to my map, frowning. Surely this kid didn't deserve being dragged to Gehenna? I suddenly felt guilty that I had even helped Astaroth (as indirectly as it had happened) find him in the first place. If only he had been a jerk, at least then I wouldn't have mind seeing him light up like a Christmas tree and thrown into Gehenna (however that worked— I really needed to do a Q&A with Astaroth when I got the chance).

Eventually, I gave up and asked one of the older students where the dorms were. She pointed me in the right direction, thankfully, and I soon found myself at the façade of a building made of marble, held up by an intricate maze of columns. I gulped. Wealthy or not, this was still breathtaking, even for me. I couldn't believe that no one was stopping to look at it or, at the very least, take a picture.

Shaking my head, I ambled into the beautifully designed building, quickly following the numbers on the door until I found my own. Room seven-hundred and seven, completely identical to all the others, I realized, upon opening the door. Or, I wished I could say that. Because lounged out on the plush armchair was Astaroth, feet hanging off the side of the chair.

"Geeze, did you fall into the fountain outside or something? I've been waiting here forever."

I glared, setting my briefcase on the bed. Everything else was being shipped to the room. Slipping off my shoes, I retorted back angrily, "Did you slip into a dumpster? You smell like trash."

He ignored my comment, and well, ignored me. He grabbed the manila folder from my bed and read through it, much to my chagrin.

"H-hey!" I tried to take it back but he held the papers just above my reach. Annoyed and slightly tired, I did something I wouldn't have done if I wasn't in such a bad mood: I kicked him in the shin, hard.

He didn't even flinch. He just stared at me with his usual bored expression, a smirk playing on his lips. "That's it? You really are weak."

"Shut up…" I muttered, relenting from my attack. I sat on the bed as he skimmed over the file, a cackle escaping his lips.

I hesitated in asking. I didn't get the chance to read the file and Astaroth's reaction spelled trouble in big, bold letters.

"They're sending you on suicide missions! Your first mission is to look for survivors in a small town in Romania. Apparently it was attacked by demons but the Vatican has it cornered off, pretending that there had been a nuclear plant explosion. This is fucking great!" He laughed some more while I panicked, running a nervous hand through my hair.

_No fucking way. I have no clue on how to even kill demons! What do they want, me to just shield the survivors with my body? _

"Probably~!" The king of Rot chirped, handing me back the papers. I swear I've never seen him happier.

At a loss, I looked down at the papers glumly. It was true; there was no way I could save anyone now, with how weak I was. In a last ditch effort, I even asked Astaroth for help.

"Hell no! I'm not becoming the Vatican's pet, too!"

Well, that was it. I would officially become lost in Romania, where I would be killed, come back to life, and killed again for centuries, or until the demons got tired of the novelty.

Just as I was weighing the options of either running away or turning myself into the Vatican, I heard pawing at my door. There was a whine that sounded suspiciously like someone pretending to be an animal and as I opened the door, a white dog bolted inside my dorm room.

"W-what the hell?" I screamed, jumping onto the bed. Sure, he looked cute and fluffy, but from experience I learned to not trust things that looked innocent.

Astaroth laughed at my reaction. "Are you afraid of dogs?"

"Just get it out!" I yelled, still somewhat unnerved. Cats were fine, but a childhood incident with our neighbor's Rottweiler left me with some unfortunate memories and a faint scar at my collarbone.

"Sorry, can't do that." The silver-haired man grinned, shutting the door. I gulped, eyeing the dog with tired eyes. They were a familiar emerald and for a second I almost entertained the thought that I had seen the animal somewhere before.

"Why not?" I snapped.

"Because he's not strong enough~!" The dog suddenly spoke, causing me to let out a belligerent scream. _What was going on? Did I hit my head or something? _

A puff of white smoke enveloped the room as I coughed, straining to see through the haze. Where the dog had been the principal emerged, tipping his hat to me. "Sorry for the scare, Icarus. I just wanted to tell you that you'd be getting some training before heading off!"

_Well, that didn't sound too bad. _

"What does this 'training' entail?"

"Well, you'll be taking an advanced course in demon studies, of course! One of our youngest teachers has promised to take an extra hour from his day for your lessons. Congratulations! Tomorrow will be your first day as an exorcist!"

"And if I refuse?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I hope you enjoy being ripped to shreds my demons." He finished nonchalantly, whistling a little tune.

"Fine…" I muttered, folding my arms.

"Hmm? What was that, I didn't hear you~!"

"I'll freaking go to exorcist school, you damn clown!"

He nodded, handing me a key. "Good, I'll show you the way to the room tomorrow. Oh, did I mention your final test before your mission will be to fight Astaroth? Anyway, I hope you have a pleasant afternoon." He grinned, snapping his fingers. Instantly, Mephisto was a little white dog again, looking towards Astaroth expectantly. The white-haired man opened the door, nodding to the animal.

"Goodbye, Icarus, Astaroth!" He said in his dog form (which was still _really _creepy) before walking out of the room.

I groaned, falling back on the bed. My first day at this stupid school and I've already been threatened, met the son of Satan, gotten lost, and now ordered to become an exorcist. It looked like my life wasn't going to be getting normal anytime soon.

* * *

A/N: Yep, still on a roll XD I hope this chapter was enjoyable! Next time we'll see the rest of the cram school students and hopefully, more interesting matters will come to light!

_**Review?**_

-Isis


	5. Chapter 5- Summoning

Chapter 5- Summoning

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Unsurprisingly, I found a certain little dog by my door the next afternoon. I was going to go out into town for some groceries, but Mephisto had to make exorcist classes start the day before actual school started.

"Good afternoon, Icarus~!" He barked happily.

"...Yah." I muttered, stuffing my hands in my pockets. The principal looked at my outfit before frowning. _What, were jeans not fashionable enough for this clown?_

"Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"I was going out to town. It wouldn't be smart to walk around with it on; you'll be targeted for your money in a heartbeat."

"Ooh, so you do have some common sense! How delightful! But, even though cram school is technically separate from the Academy, I will need you to change into your uniform." He barked again.

"Wait here, it'll only take me a sec'." I said, closing the door before changing into the school issued clothes. I decided to put on the sweater-vest but ditched the black jacket, pulling on the pink skirt and dark stockings with a groan. At least my junior high's uniform had the option for a longer skirt.

Once I was suitable, I opened the door, finding that Mephisto had waited patiently enough, curled sleepily on the carpeted floor.

After giving me an 'infinity' key, which I had to take from his mouth, I opened my door to see a long, checkered hallway. The floors were arranged in a diamond pattern of black and red while the walls were a dark, minty green.

_Geeze, did he just pick colors at random or something?_

"Alright, Icarus, the classroom number is 1012. I'm sure you'll find it easily on your own, right?" There was a hint of teasing in his eyes, but I took the bait. How hard could it be to find the classroom? It was just one long hallway, after all.

With a curt goodbye, the principal trotted away, humming to himself. I sighed the moment he disappeared, looking at the first gold plaque. _800, huh, then 1012 shouldn't be too far.  
_  
Turning to the next door I saw that it was assigned the number 200.

"Damn you!" I yelled, knowing that the demon couldn't hear me. Still, as I glanced at the numbers, I came to the horrible realization that they were all out of order. The numbers seemed to be picked at random and didn't follow any sort of pattern. I searched desperately for the first few minutes until I saw a door unlike the others; it looked old and weathered, without the little built-in window that the others had.

I nearly cried tears of joy when I saw that the faded numbers were in fact '1012.' Opening the door unceremoniously, I managed to trip over the threshold, skidding forward enough to slam my head against the teacher's desk.

"Oww..." I rubbed my head sourly, turning to see that the whole class was staring at me in shock. A pink-haired boy was snickering while a man with brown-blonde hair looked like he wanted to strangle me. It was obvious that I was very, very late.

"Looks like everyone is finally here. We've already done introductions, but I guess one more time won't hurt. You are...?"

My eyes widened at the sight of my teacher, or rather, the fact that it was Yukio Okumura. _So can this guy fly!? He's class representative and an exorcist teacher!? What the hell?_

"I-I'm Haruko Ikari. I go by Icarus. Sorry for kinda face-planting into your desk. It won't happen again... probably." I added, taking a seat at one of the empty desks near the front.

The teacher looked down at his roster, marking off my name. "Ah, yes, Ikari-san. Sir Pheles has already explained your situation. Your advanced classes are to be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after regular cram school. Oh, and my name is Yukio Okumura. I may be similar in age, but I do expect the same amount of respect you would give any other teacher."

He turned back to the board. "Now, I was about to ask who hasn't got a temptaint."

I looked around awkwardly before raising my hand. "Uh, what's that?"

"It's also known as a demon wound. It lets you see demons."

I looked around; three people, including rooster head, had wanted to be exorcists without ever seeing a demon.

Just as Yukio opened his briefcase to get out the blood needed to disturb the hobgoblins, as he called them, Rin pushed his desk forward. The table whined against the movement, alerting the bespectacled man of his now approaching brother.

"What the hell, Yukio? Why didn't ya tell me you were an exorcist?"

Yukio responded coldly, "Not now; we'll have this discussion after class.

Rin snarled. "Like hell we will!" He came closer to the teacher's desk, slamming both hands angrily against the wood. It caused the table to wobble momentarily, striking the man unsteady and causing the vial of blood to unceremoniously drop from his hand.

'Eww, what is that smell!?' I pinched my nose shut. _God, it smells worse than Astaroth!_

_I heard that, brat!_

I grinned to myself. _Good.  
_  
"Everyone, evacuate the class immediately!" He ordered, ushering the rest of us out of class. I nodded, not really wanting to take the chance of being killed and coming back to life in front of the whole class. Just as I passed the threshold I heard a little bark.

"M-Mephisto?!" I spluttered before the door closed behind them. Turning away from the door, I looked to the other cram school students. They had all formed their groups already as I rested against the wall.

_Cram school, huh... even if it's for exorcists, it doesn't seem all that different than regular school. I mean, even now I'm ignored.  
_

* * *

After a muffled argument and the sound of gunfire, we returned to the room and saw that it was in total disarray. There were bullet holes in the floors and walls, burn marks (which I would have questioned if I hadn't known Rin was the son of Satan), and broken desks.

"Since the classroom needs to be... fixed we'll work on something different. Is there anyone who doesn't know what meister they plan on pursuing?" Yukio asked.

"What's that?" Rin and I chorused before laughing at each other.

The teacher sighed. "Nii-san, you've already taken the test. You are to be a knight, remember?" He then turned to me.

"A meister is the group or subclass of exorcism a student pursues. Through focusing on one or two studies that the exorcist is good at, he or she can push themselves up the Order's 'ladder,' perhaps even to a first-class exorcist."

I nodded. It made sense; to only work in studies that you were good at. We followed Yukio to a different classroom that was set up with all the meister 'stations.' There was an exorcist per station who specialized in said meister. I was the only one of the group needing to be tested so everyone else lounged against the wall. I knew this would be their first impression of me, so I had to at least try this time.

"Let's start with aria. You'll be given five minutes to memorize a passage of the Bible. You will then read it back to me, understand?"

I nodded to the unfamiliar exorcist, eyes already trained to the text. Five minutes went by really fast as I fumbled with the words, racking my head for the next sentence. I managed to quote half of the section before my brain turned to jelly.

The stoic man gave a brief smile. "I'd suggest going into aria. Your memory is good and you're voice is strong. That is all one needs to be a proficient aria."

I bowed, giving a quick reply of thanks before rushing over to the next station. There were still a lot of meisters to try out.

I failed horribly after that. My aim was off and my vision sucked, so dragoon was definitely out. I couldn't name plants to save my life or what to even do in a crisis situation involving a bleeding student, so doctor was out too. I managed to nearly cut the instructor for the knight meister, missing the dummy target completely. Now, all that was left was tamer.

I glanced nervously at the circle on the floor. I really wanted something to show up, but at the same time, I was frightened. What if Astaroth showed up? That would be really difficult to explain.

Regardless, I used the dagger to cut a line in my palm, allowing the blood to drip onto the summoning circle. I quickly wrapped my hand in white bandages while it was still bleeding so no one could tell I had already healed. At first, the circle grew incomprehensibly bright. Everyone moved back, even the summoning teacher, Professor Nehaus as smoke filled the circle. I willed myself to stay calm even as I saw the familiar shape of ram horns.

_Astaroth, I swear to god if you go through that circle I will kill you!  
_  
_I didn't even want to be here! I was dragged over here when a stupid seal showed up on my chest! I'll leave, you just have to tell me to do so!_

_Leave! _I screamed mentally, just as the smoke and light cleared. Floating in the middle of the circle was a coal tar. It came towards me with a chirp, nestling itself in my long, dark hair.

"Ta...da...?" I squeaked, reaching up to pet the little demon.

Laughter erupted throughout the classroom; even the stoic Yukio was having a fit of giggles. I blushed deeply. Falling flat on your face was one thing; summoning probably the weakest demon in existence was another.

Professor Nehaus eyes were sharp and cold on me. Like he knew that this wasn't what I originally summoned. He scribbled something on his clipboard before speaking, "Coal tar or not, you did manage to summon something, unlike everyone else in this class, minus Izumo Kamiki. If you were to combine your talents as an aria, you may even summon something... dangerous." He finished cryptically. The laughter immediately came to a stop.

He then motioned to the coal tar currently chewing on my hair. "You may keep your summon on you at all times. It isn't a threat unless unified with others of its kind and should help you increase your stamina and strength the next time you try to summon."

I nodded. Now, I had to give the little guy a name. As I followed the rest of the class out of the room I was struck by inspiration.

"Taiyou!" I blurted, alerting the rest of the class. They all turned back at me, each sporting amused or annoyed expressions.

"Uh... for my summon. He'll be called Taiyou since I'm Icarus and he's always above me, he'll be the sun." I grinned sheepishly.

Yukio suddenly stopped in front of me and for a moment I thought naming summons wasn't allowed or something. _Shit, what did I do?  
_  
"Class is dismissed. Today's Sunday, Miss Ikari. But tomorrow, your advanced classes begin. I will see all of you tomorrow. Goodbye."

With that I reluctantly went towards the exit, followed by a grinning dog.

"Ah, that was fun, wasn't it~?" He asked, green eyes twinkling.

"I thought you left after the classroom incident."

"Nope! I saw what almost happened in the summoning room. My, my, this is another interesting development~"

I stopped in the middle of the hall, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You two are like tamer and summon. Except no demon king has ever been 'tamed,' if you will."

"But Astaroth said something about a seal just appearing on him. I definitely didn't do that consciously."

His smile broadened. "I thought your relationship was like a devoured demon and a demon eater; but I've been proven wrong. Icarus, I think you did something to Astaroth's soul. Seals on demons do two things: weaken or... kill."

"You mean I could kill him?!"

The dog did not respond.

* * *

A/N: Early holiday/Christmas greetings, everyone :3 I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to everyone who left a review 'cause I was actually expecting zero reviews, given how weird this pairing is XD and how no one writes for poor Astaroth. So yah... ^^'

_**Review?**_

-Isis


	6. Chapter 6- A New Piece Emerges

Chapter 6- A New Piece Emerges

.

.

I want to say that I was happy with the news, but I wasn't. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't actually want to harm Astaroth. Was he a jerk? Hell yes. But, he also saved my life and I didn't like the thought of being awarded immortality while he died for it.

_Hey, Ruth, can we talk for a bit?_ I asked, the first time I've ever consciously made an effort to reach out to him through our bond.

There was no response.

_Astaroth?_ I pressed again, feeling the spindles of worry gnawing at my mind.

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

I rushed down the corridor, ignoring some of the other cram school students who had taken to lounging in the wide hallway. Pushing the key into the lock, I was met with the familiar sign of my room. I took a few steps in before I was pulled back by a pair of strong arms.

I gave a little squeak, too stunned to even struggle against my attacker. I heard a familiar chuckle as I turned to see the crimson eyes of Astaroth. He was staring down at me with a crooked grin, still holding onto me.

"You're really short, ya know." He finally said, releasing me from his grip.

I retorted back swiftly, "I'm not short! I'm the average height for a girl of Japanese descent, 160 centimeters! You're the one who's freakishly tall!"

He just grinned, plopping down in my armchair, as per usual. At this point, I was glad I didn't have any roommates; it would be hard to explain the silver-haired demon's almost ever present appearance.

"So, what's up with the seal? Does it hurt?" I questioned, moving to sit adjacent from him on my bed.

Astaroth shrugged. "Not really. It only hurt for a second when you screamed for me to leave the summoning circle."

I nodded, only to feel a sudden burning in my own chest. I reflexively hunched over, pressing a hand just below my collar bone.

"W-what the hell..." I managed to grit out, feeling the skin seemingly burn away. Tears were present in my eyes as the pain continued, bathing my nervous system in thousands of alarms.

The silver-haired king was at my side, lifting his own shirt collar down. On the left side of his chest was a glowing red circle, crisscrossed in a pattern similar to that of Celtic origins.

"Ah, damnit! Now it's hurting me too!" He groaned, the light from his own seal growing brighter. I felt his hand tighten around my wrist as the pain began to recede, returning to a sudden throb before disappearing entirely. His seal eventually dimmed, returning to a darkened scarlet. We both just sat there for a while, neither speaking, just letting out smooth, steady breaths.

Astaroth eventually broke the silence. "What the fuck is going on?!" He swore loudly. I was near tempted to put my hand over his mouth; this was an all girl's dormitory, meaning that guys were definitely not allowed!

"Quiet down!" I hissed, feeling at the skin below my collarbone. I had to unbutton the first two buttons of my shirt (in which Astaroth gave a confused look— and then a leer, unsurprisingly), revealing the edge of a strange looking summoning circle. A star lay inside of it, with a short cross coming in from under it.

"Hey, that's my seal!" He pointed to the Latin words surrounding the circle. _Wonderful._

"My name, Astaroth." He quipped, a smug look on his face. Of course he'd be happy about this. I sighed buttoning up my shirt again.

"Listen, we've got to talk to Mephisto about this."

"No kidding." He muttered, fishing out a key from his own pocket.

"He gave you an infinity key too!?"

"Hell no! This key only leads to his office and mansion; I'm not trustworthy enough to get a key that could take me anywhere." There was a bitter edge to his words but he continued forward anyway, opening the door with the silver key.

* * *

"Hmm? Back so soon, Icarus, otouto~?" A familiar voice chuckled, gloved hands wrapped around a cheap ramen cup.

"Don't fucking call me that..." I heard the silver-haired demon grumble as he glowered at the carpet floor. I guess he really was weaker than Mephisto; if anyone else had said something like that they'd probably lose an arm- or more.

"We've got more problems." I muttered, nodding to Astaroth. He got the hint and lowered the collar of his shirt, revealing the intricate pattern of his seal.

Mephisto's eyes widened marginally as he sat up further in his office chair, leaning over the table.

I shook my head. "It gets worse." I opened my shirt partly to reveal my own branding.

"And these just appeared? No chants or spells? A random incantation?"

"Do you think I want this shit on me?" Astaroth snapped, beginning to stalk angrily across the room. I was once again reminded of his cat-like traits; his gait was swift and sure, tail slipping from his pants to flicker wildly. Stopping suddenly from his angry march, he folded his arms, glaring in my direction.

"It's gotta be your fault; what did you do, accidentally chant somethin' when you were doing your silly exorcist training?"

I clicked my tongue, folding my arms as well. "Funny. Because I'm pretty sure the purpose of me becoming an exorcist is to kick your ass— partly, anyway."

"Brat...!" He growled, looking as if he wanted to rip my head off. Luckily, he decided to merely lean against the wall, glaring at the back of my head in (probably) the hopes of making me explode without touching me. Needless to say, the tension was palpable.

"Settle down, children~!" Mephisto chuckled, rummaging into his desk.

We both stopped our mid-anger stances to draw up closer to the King of Space and Time, curious. Astaroth pretended to not care too much, but every few moments his crimson eyes would stop appraising the carpet to dart to his brother. I rolled my eyes. Demons really weren't that different from humans— I guess.

"Aha!" The violet-haired principal exclaimed, pulling out a plastic bag. Humming to himself, he took out two cheap cups of ramen, looking at us expectantly.

"For now, you two shouldn't worry about the bond. Just stay near each other and try not to die. I'll check into your 'problem' at the Vatican's library. As much as they'd like to pretend they only deal with demon slaying... well, they have me in their ranks, after all~!"

"What the hell?!" I blurted out, forgetting for a moment that the man was both my principal and a centuries old demon prince. I _really_ needed to work on controlling my tongue.

"Are you fucking insane?!" Astaroth added, also looking like he forgot that his older brother could probably destroy him with a snap of his fingers. Literally.

Mephisto merely laughed again (Thank god), handing us two pairs of chopsticks (wooden ones— like the type you would get at a ramen stand) before ushering us out the door. Of course, with the cups of ramen and chopsticks in our surprised hands.

* * *

...Damn, the ramen really wasn't that bad.

Deciding to eat our free 'meals' (I use the term lightly, considering Astaroth immediately devoured his cup of ramen and greedily took half of mine when I wasn't looking) in the courtyard, we lounged under a great willow tree, sitting lazily on the rolling slope. The shade was a welcomed respite from the hot weather, even if the sun was nearly below the horizon.

"Pass me my water. Please." I added, surprised to see that the demon obeyed with barely a hesitation. He returned his gaze to the grass, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

"So..." I started, wanting to fill in the awkward silence in the hopes of returning the usual King of Rot. The quiet, sullen one was scary enough to give me a heart attack! It was beyond strange; he became quiet after stealing my food, but remained sitting next to me. I didn't know if he wanted to kill me (as per usual) or if he was plotting a way to get rid of Mephisto or... probably the worst reason: he was upset about something (most likely me).

He turned to me, the bags under his eyes more evident than usual. "What?" His voice carried the same bitter tone as when he told me he wasn't given an infinity key (which I had to ask the purple-haired clown later about).

"A-are you alright? I mean you're really quiet. Like quiet enough that if I didn't look I'd think you were dead."

This brought an amused chuckle to his lips. I smiled; good, at least he can still give his creepy, mildly-scarring, demon laugh. "You really are somethin', for a human."

I glared at the statement but held my tongue (for once). He sighed, leaning his head against the tree. "This is utter bullshit. I've got these orders from ol' dad, which I would _love _to be done with so I can do whatever the hell I want, but now I got to take orders from my stupidly strong brother, and now you. All cause' I couldn't help my fucking curiosity."

His last words peaked my own interest. "So let me get this straight: you're upset because you're an ancient, 'powerful' demon king who has to take orders from three people, one being a human. And that it's sort of indirectly your fault because you saved me… out of curiosity?"

He sighed again. "That about sums it up, as much as I hate to admit it."

Ha. So he really did have self-image problems. And here I thought his arrogance was natural; it seemed more like a shield now, like how I use my own clumsiness and jokes to hide myself. "Wait, what about the 'curiosity' bit? Surely you've had a chance to save some lonely female from an attacker in your long life before you stumbled across me."

He clicked his teeth in annoyance. "That isn't it, dumbass. It was the coal tar."

"Coal tar? You mean like Taiyou?" I questioned, reaching up to pat the little demon still nestled in my hair. It cooed lightly, nuzzling into my hand in its sleep. Damn, coal tars were cute.

"You had the greatest amount around you that I had ever seen. Your would-be killer was surrounded in them too, but yours actually reached up into the sky. They were acting insane, as if they were drawn to you."

"What are the usual reasons coal tar gather around a person? They're not like harbingers of death or something, right?" I joked casually.

"Nah, nothing like that. They tend to float around those who either have a great darkness in their heart or at risk of being possessed.

_Well, that left some wonderful options. _"So am I just easy to possess? Cause I know I'm not the greatest person but—"

"But, that's the problem. You would think hanging with demons, especially demon kings, would make the numbers of coal tar around you reach exponential rates, but look around." He pointed in front of me.

There were no coal tar floating around me. None, minus Taiyou, anyway.

"That really is weird…" I muttered, turning to my right at the sound of crunching grass.

Standing, or rather, gawking at us, was none other than Satan's half-demon son, Rin Okumura. His expression was a mix of shock, anger, and horror.

"Ah, young prince, it's wonderful to see you again." Astaroth grinned, giving a little mocking bow after he stood up. I slapped his shoulder angrily.

"Stop being an asshole!" I then turned to Rin, who looked ready to reach for the red bag on his back.

"Sorry, Okumura-kun, I should probably explain—"

"Why are you talking with him? The King of Rot?" He interrupted, clearly upset. Looks like he heard our conversation; I hoped he would just assume I was talking to Reiji Shiratori, the delinquent rich kid, instead of the 'powerful' King of Decay.

"It's a really long story. And I don't know how much I can tell without getting in trouble with Mephisto—"

"She's working for me. Unless you want your sorry ass thrown into Gehenna in five seconds I suggest you leave." Astaroth interrupted, placing a hand on my head, purposefully ruffling my hair. God, what was it with these demons and manners? I've been interrupted by at least three different sons of Satan in what, like a week?

Rin growled, but remained in place, probably debating the risk of attacking Astaroth versus just leaving and asking me or Mephisto later. He eventually decided to leave, looking at me with an almost hurt expression.

"Fine. But I expect an explanation soon. From you, Icarus. Not that monster over there." The blue haired teen muttered before stalking angrily away. I let out a breath of relief at his departing figure. I was just happy there wasn't an actual fight; I didn't need more crap to deal with.

As per usual of his asshole-ish self, Astaroth chuckled at the teen's back, calling out to him, "Run back to your stupid human exorcists, little prince. Try to pretend that you're not like me—not like any of the Demon Kings. You have Satan's blood in you; _killing _is in your nature."

_Wow, nice one, Astaroth. The next time he sees you, Rin's totally going to kick your ass. _I deadpanned in my head, enjoying the angry expression the silver-haired king gave me in return.

At least he was back to his rude, foul-mouthed, horrible self.

_I heard that, brat!_

* * *

**Third Person POV**

"Aniue, I didn't know that both Rin Okumura and Astaroth were here. Can I play with them?" A man with green haired questioned, looking out through the towering office windows with his hands, pretending to be using binoculars.

Mephisto sighed, putting down the document he was reading. "Not yet. Especially not Rin Okumura."

His gaze turned to the girl in between them. She spoke to Astaroth, silver eyes narrowed in annoyance. She seemed plain enough, but to be able to verbally challenge the ever-volatile King of Rot… the demon's mind processed the information as he bit against his darkened nail.

"…How about the girl? Can I play with her?"

"You must be referring to Haruko Ikari. Well," he paused, making eye-contact with his younger brother, "You'll actually have a lot of fun playing with her."

"Hmm? Why's that?" He questioned, glacier orbs trained to the raven-haired girl.

"Because she cannot die."

Slowly, a large grin formed on the Earth King's face. "How interesting. I think I'll go play with her now."

* * *

A/N: Uh oh, more Demon Kings can't possibly be a good thing XD Hope this chapter was interesting enough and that everyone has a good New Year, even if it's a few days away :P Thanks again for checking out my story :3

Oh, and this will (probably) be the only time 3rd person point of view will be used; it just worked out that way for this chapter, but I'll do my best to stick to 1st person unless absolutely necessary ^^'

_**Review?**_

-Isis


	7. Chapter 7- Sibling Rivalry Baal Edition

Chapter 7- Sibling Rivalry (Baal Edition)

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.

Unsurprisingly, I found out soon enough that Rin's heritage was the 'best kept secret,' not including my own 'immortality.' After regular school, in which Yukio was in three of my classes (talk about awkward- I didn't know whether to address him formally or to be casual), I met up with the blue-haired teen just outside the main hall. He was lounging against the wall, a deep frown set on his face; I realized then that frowns (or any negative emotion, really) didn't suit the boy.

"We need to talk." He stated firmly once I approached, hands shoved in his pockets. I looked around sheepishly. Good, Astaroth was nowhere in sight.

"Alright, let's go to the courtyard. I'll explain everything."

* * *

Meeting back at the secluded willow tree from the day before, I checked my watch. We had about forty-five minutes until cram school. Hopefully I could explain the situation in fifteen and spend the thirty minutes shoving through the food lines.

"Okay, I'm gonna have to ask you to make a deal. I won't tell the rest of the class your Satan's offspring (he cringed at the statement) and you don't tell my secret dealing with Astaroth, okay?"

He nodded.

I took a deep breath before pulling up my sleeve. Reaching into my pocket, I found the paperclip (I had a bad habit of collecting junk) that I had kept from my Math teacher's syllabus. I broke it before dragging the clip against my skin, harshly.

"I'm kind of immortal— I think." The thin line of blood immediately stitched itself closed, crimson seeping back into my veins.

Rin gawked at me, completely speechless. It took him a few good moments to even form a cohesive sentence.

"H-how? That's even faster than I heal!"

I shook my head. "I don't know, in all honesty. About a month ago I was attacked on my way home from school. I died. Astaroth used an old spell to bring me back to life, but in doing so he also gave me immortality. I kind of owe him now." I didn't add the fact that I was indirectly the cause of Astaroth finding him, mostly because I was already worried the kid hated me enough. And I felt guilty. Like a lot guilty.

The boy was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. I bit my lip nervously; Rin was nice (surprisingly, for a son of Satan) and I was hoping we could be friends. Besides, it would be cool having someone other than Astaroth and Mephisto knowing about my ability, especially since we were both hiding secrets.

"I think I kind of understand what's going on. And I appreciate that you're keeping my secret, Icarus. So no worries, okay?" He gave a grin, immediately making me feel relieved. I still worried, however, about the other secret I hadn't told the blue-haired teen.

Would Rin still be my friend if he knew I helped Astaroth find him? Or that I was still supposed to help the demon send him to Gehenna?

"Thank you, Rin." I smiled back. The words left a sour taste in my mouth. I didn't want to be a traitor.

Rin soon bolted off, mumbling something about Yukio wanting to meet with him for lunch. I waved at the boy's departing figure, ready to make my way to the dining hall as well. But just as I took a step forward I heard rusting from above me.

Looking up, I saw an odd looking teen perched on one of the longer branches, staring down at me with interest. His hair was an odd shade of green (which didn't look dyed) with a random spike in the middle and his eyes were a piercing cerulean.

"H-hello...?" I started, noticing immediately that the stranger had pointed ears. _Please don't tell me it's another one of Satan's sons. The guy really needs some self-control.  
_  
"Hello. Are you Haruko Ikari?"

I nodded hesitantly. If this guy knew my name then he had to know either Astaroth or Mephisto. A wide smile broke across his face. It did nothing to settle my fears, however, as it revealed his canines, which were unusually sharp.

_Oh shit._ I took a few steps back as the boy swung down from the tree in an apparently effortless motion. And just as swiftly he brought a clawed hand around my waist, lifting me over his shoulders.

"What the hell?! Let go!" I kicked angrily. It seemed to barely faze the green-haired man as he leapt into the air.

_Well, he's definitely a demon..._ I thought bitterly, still swinging against him. There was no way I was going anywhere without a fight.

"Hold still. I want to play; I don't like it when my toys are broken first."

His tone was childish to say the least, but I couldn't help the shiver that crept over me. Referring to humans as toys... it was a personality trait that seemed prevalent in demons.

"F-fine, who are you then? And where are you taking me?"

"Oh, right. I'm Amaimon, King of Earth. And where was I taking you again... ah, somewhere that we won't be bothered." He added, bounding across the roofs of True Cross Academy. I remained silent after that, not wanting to agitate the demon.

The wind rushed past us, loud and deafening in my ears. In short, it was a very uncomfortable situation. His claws were digging into my back, I was now being dragged into the woods, and I could only assume a demon's version of 'playing' was ripping his opponent to shreds.

_Astaroth, I could really use your help!_ I pressed, hoping he would respond quickly. I heard him chuckle moments after

_You need my help? Well, I want to hear you beg first; then I might decide to save you— for the second time, by the way._ His tone was so overly egotistical that I could practically see the sneer on his face. But, now was definitely not the time to get into a verbal sparring match with the only person who could save me from an unhinged demon king (funny, really, since Astaroth was 100% insane, too).

_Please, Astaroth. I'm being kidnapped by one of your crazy brothers and—_

_Who? Is it Azazel? He's the King of Spirits so I imagine he'd probably be really pissed if he found out a human couldn't die._

_No! He said his name was Amaimon, the King of Earth!_ I snapped.

There was a pause. A _long_ pause.

_Uh, Ruth...?_

_I'll fucking kill him. That brat thinks he's so great just 'cause he's a seat over me. I'll show him! Give me a sec, Icarus. I'm going to enjoy taking my throne back._

_What are you talking about?!_

_I'm saying that in the hierarchy of Gehenna, I was ranked seventh until that little shit took over and knocked me into dead last!_

Heh, and here I thought there was a lot of animosity between him and Mephisto...

* * *

Before I knew it, we were in the middle of a wide clearing. The demon dropped me unceremoniously to the ground, none too gently, might I add, as I landed to the ground with a disgraceful thud.

"Jerk..." I mumbled, brushing dust off my skirt before standing. Amaimon stood a few feet away, staring at me with the same curious apathy that made me shiver.

"So, you can't die?" He asked, claws pointed towards me, or to be more precise, my neck.

I gulped. "Uh, something like that. Doesn't mean being ripped to shreds won't hurt." I gave a shaky grin in the hopes that my answer would sate his curiosity and he wouldn't need to test my immortality by say, ripping my head off.

He didn't respond, gaze fixed almost mechanically towards me. I shifted back slightly, moving until my back hit the nearest tree. Amaimon approached predatorily, wordless in his steps.

"Can't we uh, talk this through? Get a drink? Anything that doesn't involve pain?" I questioned, trying to buy myself some time. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to truly test out the limits of my immortality and wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. Just as he moved his hand back to strike, an ear-splitting screech erupted from my little coal tar, Taiyou.

It was loud enough that even Amaimon had to pause, squeezing his eyes shut. Angrily, the Earth King swung for the demon, trying to snatch him off my head. Taiyou floated easily into the air, safe from the king's claws, for the moment. He was still yelling his little head off, causing an adequate enough distraction for me to bolt the hell out of there.

I darted through the trees, willing myself to look forward and not to the green-haired demon who was probably a hundred-percent ready to dismember me. _Don't look back, don't look back, whenever someone looks back in a movie they either freeze or trip… damn it all! _I took a quick peek behind me to see that the demon wasn't behind me at all; he was right beside me, keeping up with my pace like it was a steady jog.

I gave my own screech of horror, nearly tumbling into the nearest pine. Amaimon followed easily, looking almost a bit disappointed as I fell down, breathless.

"That's it? How boring." He mumbled, crouching down so we were eye-level. His arm quickly darted out to grab my throat, not hard enough to cause any real damage but enough that I didn't even think of resisting.

_I'm going to die—again! Damn it, Astaroth, where are you? _

I felt the man apply pressure, claws digging into my skin and I let out a strangled gasp, eyes darting to the approaching swarm of darkness. I thought maybe my vision was going spotty from lack of oxygen, but just as I felt my conscience fade, I saw them; a huge wave of coal tar, with Taiyou leading.

"Thank you, Taiyou…" I managed to whisper out after Amaimon let go, bewildered by the sight of billions of coal tar. I don't know if it was because I was almost unconscious, but it felt as if I was floating. I swore I saw the forest below me grow smaller and smaller, as well as the form of the Earth King disappear in a sea of black. I gave a small smile; if this wasn't a dream, then I was going to rub this all in Astaroth's face. I had saved myself.

* * *

Waking up, I found myself perched on someone's back. Looking up, still dazed, I saw a shock of silver and realized just who was carrying me.

"Astaroth?" I mumbled out, lightheaded. Man, I really had to have died for real this time. Maybe I was in Gehenna because there was no way he would every carry me anywhere.

"Finally, you're awake. Geeze, he didn't even hurt you but you were freaking out for three hours. I had to drag us out of that stupid forest without using my powers 'cause you caused about a thousand exorcists to show up."

"W-what are you talking about? Are you saying that I caused all those coal tar to come there?"

The man snorted. "Yah. Your fucking summon decided to call all the coal tar in Assiah _and _Gehenna to come rescue you. I didn't even get a chance to kill Amaimon before the whole place was teeming with them. They wouldn't even listen to me; they huddled around you until I picked you up."

I gave a sleepy grin, a weird lethargy in my limbs. It felt as if I had run ten marathons or something equally as ridiculous. I rested against the demon's back, letting out a yawn.

"Thanks for helping me, Astaroth. Maybe you're not that bad, after all." I murmured, ready to fall back asleep.

"Keep saying shit like that and I'll drop you." He bit back, tilting his head to the sky. It was already dark, signaling that I had missed my second day of cram school. Somehow, though, I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Ah, just what the hell is going on? You're more trouble than your worth ya know," He turned back to look at me. I used the last bit of my strength to pat him on the head. The silver-haired demon recoiled, a flash of surprise in his crimson eyes.

"You're probably right. But still, thank you. I mean it."

A deep chuckle followed. "I don't think I've ever been thanked by a human; funny, I thought it would burn more, like holy water."

_Yep, his jokes were still horrible…_

* * *

A/N: Whoo, we've reached Chapter 7, guys :3 Honestly, this story is the easiest one for me to write at the moment, so that's why updates have been so fast XD Thanks for the support so far and a happy New Year to everyone! Here's to a happier one, ne?

Oh, on another note, thanks to guest reviewer from Chapter 6, I was convinced to put up a little doodle I had sitting around of Icarus. It's the cover photo of this fanfic, but if you can't see it 'cause you're on a mobile device or something just head over to my profile. I've got a link there ^^ I think I'm a better writer than artist, but here's a glimpse into my brain anyway, lol

_**Review?**_

-Isis


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